I’ve always thought it grand that once a year our world stops to remember that Jesus was born.
It would be even better, of course, if folks thought a lot more about him in February and September, but I’m grateful that he commands such a prominent place in December.
“The Word became flesh.” That’s what people are celebrating at Christmas. Jesus became a man, the Book tells us, a man “full of grace and truth.”
As we bow before him at
Grace we like. Especially if it has been watered down to exact no rightness or righteousness from those who receive it. Grace we welcome. It has about it a cozy feeling, a warmth that fits into the feeling of a time when we praise God for his “goodwill toward men.”
But truth? We don’t hear much talk about truth at Christmas time. It has such a stern, demanding ring to it. At a time when we dream of “peace on earth,” truth intrudes like Pavarotti at a Willie Nelson concert. How can I make peace with my neighbor if I expect him to concur with the truth of my doctrines and ideas?
Yet the scripture is plain: Jesus was full of grace and truth. These qualities that we moderns have set so inalterably against one another were fused in a perfect union in Jesus. Like two precious gems sparkling in a single mounting, grace and truth reflected heaven’s light in the person of our Lord.
December’s cherished songs and Scriptures may hold a message we urgently need in our day. Grace and truth belong together. Separated as they so often seem to be in religion today, both grace and truth suffer serious distortion and may actually become curses instead of blessings.
So thank God for Christmas. The holiday would be a priceless blessing if it taught us no other lesson than this.